bottomed woks. They won’t work, period, on an electric
range and are tough to use on a gas range even with one of
those wok rings. On the other hand, woks with bottoms that
are too flat defeat the purpose of the pan, making it tough to
flip food properly and to move it in and out of the high-heat
zone.
Your best bet is a wok with a 4- to 5-inch-wide flattened
area at the bottom and gently sloping sides that flare out to
between 12 and 14 inches. This will give you plenty of
high-heat space for searing meats and vegetables at the
bottom, with ample volume and room to maneuver when
flipping. As for handles, you have two choices: Cantonese-
style woks have two small handles on either side, while
northern-style woks have one long handle and usually a
smaller helper-handle on the opposite side. This is the type
of wok you want. The long handle facilitates flipping and
stir-frying, while the short handle makes it easy to lift.
Finally, avoid nonstick woks like the plague. Most
nonstick coatings cannot handle the high heat necessary for
a proper stir-fry. They start vaporizing, releasing noxious
fumes, long before they reach the requisite temperature.
They make browning difficult, and it’s impossible to get
food to stick in place against the sides of the wok when you
want to clear a surface to cook in the middle.
Care and Maintenance
Just like a good cast-iron pan, a carbon steel wok’s
performance will improve the more you use it. Most come
with a protective film of oil to prevent them from rusting or
tarnishing in the store. It’s important to remove this layer